Gretchen Scalpi, RDN

Don’t let the summer heat affect your ability to stay on track with your healthy eating goals.

Here are a few tips to keep eating healthy when things heat up:

• Meal prep in advance: try scheduling 1 hour a week to prep meals by washing, slicing produce, marinating meats, or assembling ingredients into freezer bags for crock pot meals. The hour spent will save you time throughout the week.
• Focus on grilling outdoors and make it your summer kitchen. Meats, poultry, fish and vegetables all work well on the grill and help keep it cooler inside
• Eat more vegetables and fruit: summer is a great time to incorporate in-season produce into your diet. It also helps to increase fiber and add bulk to you meals, so you will feel less hungry.
• Keep well hydrated: even mild dehydration can drain your energy making it harder to stay motivated to exercise or prepare meals. Drink water throughout the day – a minimum of 64 ounces is recommended for most people.
• Make frozen treats with unsweetened frozen fruits like this Healthy 5 Minute Berry Frozen Yogurt

Tags: fluids, frozen fruit, grilling, hydration, summer